1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stringed instruments. More particularly, the disclosed device and method of employment thereof, relates to a pickup for stringed instruments, in particular guitar pickup devices for electric guitars. The present invention provides a customizable pickup device by employing means for varying the induced voltage communicated through the wire forming the coil of the device to one or a plurality of output signal lead ends. In one mode the means for varying the induced voltage is provided by the operative engagement of one or a plurality of tap wires communicating with the output wire lead end, engaged at different points along the length of wire forming the coil of the pickup, which produces different signals at each output lead end depending on the location of the tap connection.
2. Prior Art
Stringed instruments have been employed by musicians for centuries. Amplification of such instruments has been employed since the early 1900's when tubes were invented which could amplify input sound from microphones. Between 1920 to 1950, the need for guitar amplification increased where musicians desired to employ guitars to accompany the louder instruments of a big band style orchestra. Over time, the amplification of guitars and later, other stringed instruments, evolved to employ guitar pickups, on solid body guitars.
There exists a wide variety of guitar pickup designs available to the average consumer. One conventionally known guitar pickup is a passive magnetic pickup design employing the physics of electromagnetic induction to generate an electronic signal which is communicated to an amplifier for reproduction by loudspeakers. Other designs include piezoelectric pickups and optical pickups, however are conventionally employed for specialized purposes and are not widely used. Additionally employed to electrify the sound of some stringed instruments such as a guitar, are microphones, which are mounted internally with acoustic guitars and other similar stringed instruments such as a base.
Magnetic pickups used for guitars and other metal-stringed instruments, consist of or generally employ a permanent magnet with a core of material such as alnico or ceramic which is coupled with one or plurality of ferromagnetic pole pieces. The magnet and pole pieces are coiled with several thousand turns of fine wire and up to 10,000 turns. The pole pieces and coil are conventionally engaged on an elongated bobbin.
The coil generally comprises an electrical circuit which is acted upon by the magnetic fields of the permanent magnet and pole pieces. Like any electrical circuit placed near a changing magnetic filed, and in accordance with the basic laws of electricity and magnetism, the coils of the pickup will have an inductance, measured in Henries. The inductance can be anything from 1 Henry for a low output single coil pickup, to around 9 Henries or more, for the high output style humbucker pickups. The inductance depends on the number of turns of copper wire and also on the physical shape of the coils.
Additionally, every pickup coil has a characteristic DC resistance, measured in Ohms. Like Henries, the resistance measurement also depends on the number of turns and the diameter of the copper wire used. Typical values can range from about 1k (1000 ohms) up to about 15 k (15000 ohms).
Pickups are also known exhibit a “distributed” capacitance which is effectively in parallel with the inductance of the formed coil. This is caused by the addition of the very small capacitance between each turn on the coil.
The electrical signal output of a guitar pickup for amplification is provided by an analog signal communicated by electric current which is induced or generated in the coils when the magnetic field communicating with and through the coil (magnetic flux) changes. This is referred to as electromagnetic induction. When the pickup is operatively engaged to a body, adjacent to the vibrating metal strings of the stringed instrument, as the stringed instrument is strummed, the vibration and resulting movement of the strings adjacent the pickup modulates the magnetic field thereby inducing changes in the magnetic flux communicating through the coil. As such, in accordance with the laws of electromagnetic induction, this change in magnetic flux induces an alternating current signal through the coil. Lead ends of the coil are then communicated to an audio output and the electronic signal is ultimately communicated to an amplifier for producing the sounds and tones we hear today.
The material, length, gauge, and number of turns of the wire, leading to the point where the electric current or signal is captured and then communicated to an amplifier, can provide a change in the electrical signal output, namely in the capacitance, inductance and electrical voltage and current of the coil acting as an electrical circuit. These factors ultimately affect the electrical circuit characteristics of the coil, which affects the induced electrical signals providing the amplified sound and tone.
As such, manufacturers are able to produce different sounds and tone by varying the length, gauge, and number of turns of the wire forming the coil and the pickup locations on the body along the length of the strings. On some deigns there are additionally included magnetic pole pieces which, when engaged to the body of the guitar align with the strings. Conventional pole pieces can be adjustable, such as a threaded screw, or fixed and referred to as slugs.
The configuration of the pickup has changed only slightly since its first invention. A single coil pickup (employing a single coil configuration) is known in the art to be prone to electromagnetic interference generated by electrical power cables, power transformers, radio stations, and cathode ray tubes and other local sources. What is produced is an audible hum as a consequence of the interference with the windings of the pickup.
To overcome this effect, two sets of coils, pole pieces, and bobbin configurations are positioned on opposite sides of a permanent magnet, with one on the north magnetic pole of the magnet and one on the south magnetic pole of the magnet. Further each coil configuration is typically coiled reverse to one another. Due to the reverse windings in each pickup coil, and the positioning of the coils on the opposite poles of the magnet, the electro-magnetic interference signals in each pickup are equal yet in opposite phases, resulting in a cancelling of each other out, and eliminating the audible hum. This is commonly referred to as a ‘humbucker’ type pickup configuration. Examples can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,892,371 and 2,896,491 herein incorporated in their entirety by reference. Manufacturers are able to prologue various sounds and tones by employing various combination of single coil pickups and humbucking pickups, arranged at various locations on the body of the guitar.
Although advancements in pickup technology are present, for both single coil pickups and humbucker pickups, the coil configurations continue to stay unchanged. For example, for a humbucker, after winding, the end lead wires of each of the two coil configuration are engaged such that the coils are in series and there is a single output. As such, the induced signal is generated, and therefor sound and tone is produced which is limited by the number of turns between the start and end leads of the wire in each coil configuration. Therefor variations in sound and tone produced in the communicated electronic signal, are generally limited to number of turns, wire material, length, and wire gauge.
For example, classical musicians tend to employ pickups with relatively low number of turns of the wire forming the coil. This generally lowers the resistance through the coil and decreases the induced output voltage of the pickup, however this also allows for increasing the resonant peak. Therefor, lesser turns or windings on the coil, or coils depending on the pickup, is known to produce cleaner high frequency tones favored by country and blues musicians.
Rock musicians tend to use a pickup with a relatively high number of turns of the coil. This increases the output voltage and reduces the resonant peak and is more favorable with amplification of low, bass sounds. The high frequency sounds begin to get cut off and/or distorted. Over winding of the wire forming the coil is also employed. This produces clipping in the signal and even more of the familiar distortion in the amplified sound from the communicated signal, heard in heavy metal and rock music.
As such, musicians must selectively choose the type and configuration of the pickup employed on their instrument in order to get the sound and tone they desire. If a wide range of tones and resonate peaks over varying frequencies are desired, the musician typically purchases separate instruments having the desired pickup configuration which will communicate the electronic signal for amplification for each desired tone and range. Otherwise, the musician is limited to only one certain tone and range which is determined and limited by the pickup configuration employed on their instrument.
Consequently, there is an unmet need for a pickup employing a coil circuitry, which will allow communication of signals for amplification which are employable by all types of musicians, and music. Such a pickup should be configured for user customized sound generating electronic signals, by individual selection or mixing of both clean signals and distorted signals from the same pickup device. Such a device should allow for switching and resulting operative engagement of one or a plurality of output signal wires from their engagement positions at different points along the windings of wire forming the coil of the pickup to thereby vary the signal communicated for amplification to produce the desired sound.
The disclosed device herein has met a previously unmet need for an improved user-variable guitar pickup device which provides string sound signals in multiple types and tones, with both higher and lower resonant peaks all from the same pickup. The device herein described and disclosed advantageously allows a user to employ multiple audio outputs corresponding to each output lead which can be used individually or combined to create an output signal yielding customized tones and sounds. Further, by communicating the plurality of signals into a mixing knob or switch, or directly to a computer or MIDI conversion component, another increase the musician's choice of tone and sound is provided logarithmically, as compared from conventional two wire outputs.
In the device herein, each output signal wire produces different signals dependent on the location of the signal wire connection at the various points along its total length within the magnetic flux field of the pickup, thereby yielding great utility. This configuration provides a plurality of output signal wires communicating a plurality of unique electrical signals captured at these connection points or taps, to a plurality of respective individual output leads. Each output lead communicates a unique signal which can be in the clean range when the tap is at a point of relatively low number windings of the coil, all the way to the distorted range when the tap is at a point of relatively high number of windings of the coil of the pickup device. This configuration yields a wide range of tones and sounds which can be produced from a single pickup configuration.
For example, using the configuration of pickup herein, and a plurality of tap points on the coiled wire, which extend from different positions along the length of the coil of the pickup corresponding to a different number of turns, individual respective communications of different respective induced voltages and currents are provided. These may be used singularly or in combination to produce one or a plurality of output signals for amplification to produce an infinite number of different tones and sounds when communicated to an amplifier.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.